An apparatus for grouped take-up and feeding of a container-group of containers to a cyclical processing machine having a cyclical take-up device for taking up the group of containers includes an intake, a feed, and a transfer apparatus arranged in a transfer region between the intake and the take-up device. The intake forms a closed conveyor section that comprises a linear section, a conveyor, and carrying-and-holding elements that convey containers in a continuous container stream along the conveyor section. The feed uses mechanical propulsion to convey suspended containers to individually transfer the suspended containers to the carrying-and-holding elements. The transfer apparatus has rotatable grippers for taking up a container group from the container stream and after having taken up the group of containers, feeding the group of containers to the cyclical take-up device.

An apparatus for grouped take-up and feeding of a container-group of containers to a cyclical processing machine having a cyclical take-up device for taking up the group of containers includes an intake, a feed, and a transfer apparatus arranged in a transfer region between the intake and the take-up device. The intake forms a closed conveyor section that comprises a linear section, a conveyor, and carrying-and-holding elements that convey containers in a continuous container stream along the conveyor section. The feed uses mechanical propulsion to convey suspended containers to individually transfer the suspended containers to the carrying-and-holding elements. The transfer apparatus has rotatable grippers for taking up a container group from the container stream and after having taken up the group of containers, feeding the group of containers to the cyclical take-up device.

Conveyor device (1) including an endless conveyor belt (4), a first drive (3) for driving the endless conveyor belt (4), a main frame (2) and an auxiliary frame (19) supported in the main frame (2), a second drive (15) for moving the auxiliary frame (19) back and forth relative to the main frame (2) in the manner of a shuttle-conveyor, such that a supply track (4a) of endless conveyor belt (4) supported by the auxiliary frame (19) can feed products (P) on a discharge track (4b) of endless conveyor belt (4) supported by the main frame (2).

Conveyor device (1) including an endless conveyor belt (4), a first drive (3) for driving the endless conveyor belt (4), a main frame (2) and an auxiliary frame (19) supported in the main frame (2), a second drive (15) for moving the auxiliary frame (19) back and forth relative to the main frame (2) in the manner of a shuttle-conveyor, such that a supply track (4a) of endless conveyor belt (4) supported by the auxiliary frame (19) can feed products (P) on a discharge track (4b) of endless conveyor belt (4) supported by the main frame (2).

A machine and method for arranging objects comprising a first end with a protruding edge and a second end, on the opposite side of the protruding edge, in an alternate manner along single file rows. A guide guides objects in a single file row to a separator for receiving and separating the objects into a first and a second group and for alternately feeding the first and the second group to a collector and dropping device configured for rotating the objects of the first group and the second group according to a predetermined orientation and for stacking the objects one above the other in an alternate manner along single file rows.

A machine and method for arranging objects comprising a first end with a protruding edge and a second end, on the opposite side of the protruding edge, in an alternate manner along single file rows. A guide guides objects in a single file row to a separator for receiving and separating the objects into a first and a second group and for alternately feeding the first and the second group to a collector and dropping device configured for rotating the objects of the first group and the second group according to a predetermined orientation and for stacking the objects one above the other in an alternate manner along single file rows.

A method for formatting food products on a conveyor device includes a) receiving the food products in a plurality of parallel conveyor tracks, some of which include product gaps; b) outputting the food products into the parallel conveyor tracks in a specific product format; c) detecting the product supply in the conveyor tracks incoming on the input side individually for each of the conveyor tracks; and d) filling the product gaps in the conveyor tracks with food products, so that on the output side all of the parallel conveyor tracks are supplied with the food products. The product gaps are also filled with food products from a product buffer in that at least one of the food products is transferred from the product buffer to the conveyor track only when an odd number of product gaps exist in one of the conveyor tracks.

A method for formatting food products on a conveyor device includes a) receiving the food products in a plurality of parallel conveyor tracks, some of which include product gaps; b) outputting the food products into the parallel conveyor tracks in a specific product format; c) detecting the product supply in the conveyor tracks incoming on the input side individually for each of the conveyor tracks; and d) filling the product gaps in the conveyor tracks with food products, so that on the output side all of the parallel conveyor tracks are supplied with the food products. The product gaps are also filled with food products from a product buffer in that at least one of the food products is transferred from the product buffer to the conveyor track only when an odd number of product gaps exist in one of the conveyor tracks.

An article processing station is characterized by an accumulating article shaft and robotic EOAT receiving articles entering the shaft. The shaft includes a grouped article receiving deck within an egress portion of the shaft, opposingly paired sidewalls, and an end wall downstream of the sidewalls. The deck includes spaced apart deck fingers, the end wall includes spaced apart wall fingers, and the EOAT includes spaced apart tool fingers. The tool fingers are registerable in relation to spaces of the spaced apart wall fingers and the spaced apart deck fingers so as to pass there through. The tool travels to, through and from the shaft, so as to receive articles entering the ingress portion of the shaft while traveling from the ingress portion towards the egress portion in furtherance of depositing an article group upon the deck during travel from the shaft.

An article processing station is characterized by an accumulating article shaft and robotic EOAT receiving articles entering the shaft. The shaft includes a grouped article receiving deck within an egress portion of the shaft, opposingly paired sidewalls, and an end wall downstream of the sidewalls. The deck includes spaced apart deck fingers, the end wall includes spaced apart wall fingers, and the EOAT includes spaced apart tool fingers. The tool fingers are registerable in relation to spaces of the spaced apart wall fingers and the spaced apart deck fingers so as to pass there through. The tool travels to, through and from the shaft, so as to receive articles entering the ingress portion of the shaft while traveling from the ingress portion towards the egress portion in furtherance of depositing an article group upon the deck during travel from the shaft.